1 Michael G. Foster School of Business Continuation Policy The Michael G. Foster School of Business wants every student admitted to be successful in the program. At the same time, the Foster School is responsible for upholding academic standards, serving students pursuing their first degrees, and making good use of limited resources. Limited resources mean only as many students are admitted as those who graduate each year. The Foster School therefore utilizes a Continuation Policy which specifies the rules students must follow to make satisfactory progress toward completion of the Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (BA BA). In addition, students are encouraged to be proactive about seeking advice from academic advisers for problems affecting performance or participation in the School. All Foster School undergraduates must maintain normal progress towards the BA BA each quarter in the major. Normal degree progress is defined as: Overall UW GPA of 2.5 (the University minimum is a 2.0 GPA) A business and option GPA of 2.5 Completion of degree requirements within the 180 credits required for graduation (186 credits for the accounting option). To that end, the Foster School limits students pursuit of specialized options within the 180 credit limit and reserves the right to deny a student from an option, if pursuit of that option will require the student to exceed that. Further, students wishing to pursue any additional option, as part of the 180 credits toward the BA BA, must elect to pursue that option prior to completion of 135 credits. Exceptions to this limit will only be considered if the student has completed significant option related coursework AND can complete the additional option in approximately 180 credits. The Foster School recognizes that exceptional circumstances (e.g. death in the family, serious illness) may delay degree progress. In addition, educational opportunities such as study abroad or internship opportunities may warrant the extension of a student s program. Academic Advising All business majors may seek academic counseling as often as they wish but are encouraged to see an adviser at least once a year. Required advising appointments are as follows: During any probation quarter, no later than the fifth week Upon the request of an adviser or a faculty member. The Foster School wants to help students do well in the program. The Foster School may require a student to meet with an adviser to discuss performance and continuation in the major if a review of student records indicates a possible problem. The Foster School encourages students who are considering a degree in business to be coded as a business premajor (PreBA) so the advising file is assigned to the Undergraduate Programs Office (UPO) in 137 Mackenzie for the student's convenience in meeting with business advisers. An extended pre business major (ExPBA) designation will be approved as long as the student meets the criteria for pre business major designation and the student has not already been denied admission to the Foster School.
2 Enrollment A condition of admission is that a student must be enrolled at the University during the quarter for which he was admitted (summer or autumn quarter for autumn admission; winter for winter admission). Exceptions to this policy must be requested in writing to the director of the undergraduate program. Enrollment in individual quarters: If a student does not attend regularly scheduled class meetings during the first week of the quarter, the student may be dropped from the course at the discretion of the instructor or the UPO. Students should not assume the Foster School will drop them if they do not attend, rather students should drop any courses they have not attended through the registration system. At the end of the quarter, students who are still registered for a course section but have not attended will be assigned a failing grade. Students must file a graduation application with the UPO in accordance with University regulations to ensure timely graduation. Students enrolled in the Foster School who have completed all requirements for graduation will not be permitted to register for additional University courses while enrolled in the School. Maintaining enrollment: A student who drops Business to pursue another major will need to apply to Business for admission during the semi annual application period. If a student was admitted to Business, drops Business and graduates with another major, the student must apply to the University of Washington as a post baccalaureate and must apply to the Foster School during the semi annual application period. A student who leaves the University as a Business major in good standing may return as a Business major, provided the student is able to return to the University under the returning student re enrollment guidelines. Options (accounting, entrepreneurship, finance, human resources management, information systems, and marketing). Pursuing an option allows the following rights and responsibilities. Students will be allowed to apply for one option upon application to the Foster School. After admission to the Foster School: Students with less than 135 credits earned and wanting one option will see an adviser to file a change of major. This includes students who applied BA BA and decide to add an option AND those who were admitted to an option and want to change (still only one option). Students wanting two options (no matter how many credits they have accumulated) will need to meet with an adviser to develop a graduation plan. Students with more than 135 credits earned who want just one option will need to meet with an adviser to develop a graduation plan. Admission to an option allows priority registration to option specific courses. This does not include core courses, as those are required of all students admitted to the School. Admission to an option does not guarantee space in option specific courses. Students are advised to register at their registration date/time. Given limited resources and the priority registration afforded above (and the requirement to complete the degree within the 180 credits allotted), students are allowed to pursue a maximum of two options.
3 However, pursuit of two options is only allowed if the students educational plan and time to degree warrant two options. Freshman Direct and students admitted with less than 60 college credits may declare an option as soon as the lower division core are completed (ACCTG 215 and 225, ECON 200 and 201, MGMT 200 and Q METH 201) following the above guidelines. No major changes will be filed during Registration Period 1. Courses and Credits The BA BA curriculum is built on the foundation of the business core requirements. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that the core be completed as soon after admission to the Foster School as practicable. Delaying core courses until the final quarters of enrollment at the UW is discouraged as the foundational coursework provides context for upper division coursework. Students must take courses in the appropriate sequence. All prerequisites must be completed before a student registers for a specific course, unless permission is obtained from the instructor. Monitoring Academic Progress The UPO monitors the academic performance of all undergraduates. All students are subject to the UW Satisfactory Progress Policy (http://www.washington.edu/students/reg/regpol.html) regarding grades, credits, and satisfactory progress. The University requires students to maintain a 2.0 cumulative GPA while the Foster School requires that students maintain a 2.5. If a course is repeated, both grades are counted in the GPA (while credit is only assigned once). Further, the University and the Foster School monitor your academic record for excessive course repeats, course drops, or University withdrawals and cancellations. If there is a pattern, the University may terminate your enrollment and/or the Foster School may drop you from the School. Monitoring Quarterly, Cumulative and Option Academic Progress At the end of every quarter, the UPO reviews the performance of all undergraduates and assesses their academic standing. Students will be notified in writing of academic warning, probation or drop as soon as practicable after receiving the previous quarter s grade reports; each notice of academic warning or probation will be noted in the student s file. The following sanctions may be rendered against a student whose performance falls below the School s standard for making satisfactory progress. Low Quarterly Grades: Students, who do not meet the low scholarship criteria but have a quarterly GPA below 2.5 or a substantial drop in quarterly GPA from their typical performance, receive written notification encouraging them to talk with an academic adviser about any academic difficulties they are having. This is intended to help students solve academic problems before reaching low scholarship status. Probation: A student will be placed on academic probation at the end of any quarter in which the business cumulative GPA, the UW cumulative GPA or the option GPA falls below 2.50. Once on probation, the student
4 must maintain at least a 2.75 for each succeeding quarter s work until the business, option and/or UW GPAs are raised to 2.5. Drop: If the student does not maintain a 2.75 quarterly GPA while on probation, the student will be dropped from the Foster School. The student will again be coded a pre major or extended pre business major. If the student does not maintain a 2.75 GPA in the option while on probation, or raise the cumulative GPA to 2.5, the student will be dropped from the option and coded as BA. If and when the GPA (business, UW and/or option) is raised to acceptable levels, the UPO will change the student s major back to BA or the appropriate option. A letter petitioning for reinstatement may be required. Appealing drop: A student, who is dropped under this policy, may file a written appeal to the UPO within 15 working days after the drop letter was dated. The appeal should state all the facts the student believes justify reconsideration, and include supporting documentation. The Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Programs will review the facts and render a decision within 15 working days after the appeal is received. Monitoring Academic Progress of Students Admitted with Less than 60 Credits (EAGS) Completion of the following courses within the first 45 credits following admission to the Foster School. o ACCTG 215 and 225 o ECON 201 o MGMT 200 o Q METH 201 These students must finish all the above listed courses before enrolling in core courses. Students who are completing pre business and general education courses but have room for core in their schedules are the exception to this rule. Note that B ECON 300, FIN 350, I S 300 and OPMGT 301 require completion of most pre business courses before enrollment. These students who meet the low scholarship criteria follow the same probation and drop guidelines as other Foster students. Monitoring Freshman Direct Academic Progress Admitted Freshman Direct Foster School students who fail to achieve a quarterly UW GPA of 3.0 at any time during their first 45 UW credits will be placed on academic warning (for the first quarter at the UW) and then advisory probation in subsequent quarters. While on advisory probation, students must maintain a quarterly 3.0 UW GPA. o A student who drops below a 2.5 cumulative UW GPA will be dropped from the Foster School no later than the quarter after which he attains 45 UW credits. Dropped students would need to apply to the Foster School as a UW student. o Students with a 2.5 2.99 cumulative GPA after completing 45 credits will be required to meet with a business adviser, quarterly, until 75 UW credits are earned. Failure to meet with an adviser will result in a registration hold being placed. Students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative UW and business GPA.
5 Following completion of the first 45 UW credits, students who meet the low scholarship criteria follow the same probation and drop guidelines as other Foster students. Admitted Freshman Direct Foster School students must complete the following courses within their first 45 UW credits. AP credits or courses previously completed will fulfill the requirement. o MATH 112 or 124 or 134 o English composition [C] course o ECON 200 No student may add an option without completing ACCTG 215, ACCTG 225, Q METH 201 (or equivalent) and MGMT 200. Satisfactory Progress and the 210 Credit Rule The University s satisfactory progress policy requires students to complete their undergraduate degree programs within 30 credits beyond the minimum required for the degree. Because the business degree requires 180 credits, students must generally complete their programs by the time they reach 210 credits. Students who have not applied for graduation by the time they earn 180 credits will have a registration hold applied and they will not be able to take further coursework until they have met with an adviser. Students are not allowed to change the quarter of the graduation once they are enrolled in that quarter. Accounting students, who need 225 credits for CPA purposes, must file a graduation plan with an adviser within one quarter prior to accumulating 180 credits. The plan must utilize state resources (i.e. space in courses) appropriately and within a reasonable time frame. Student Conduct Code Students may also be dismissed from the Foster School for academic misconduct, as defined by the Student Conduct Code, WAC 478 120, (http://www.washington.edu/students/handbook/conduct.html). Students who are admitted to the School fall under the jurisdiction of the Foster School and cases are referred to the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Programs. Cases of suspected academic misconduct of students not admitted to the Foster School are referred to the Vice Provost of Student Affairs for disposition under the auspices of the College of Arts and Sciences, at the University.